


Safe

by liebrenado



Category: American Werewolf in London (1981)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Mutual Pining, Sharing a Bed, yep its this trope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-23
Updated: 2018-11-23
Packaged: 2019-08-27 22:32:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16711279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liebrenado/pseuds/liebrenado
Summary: David and Jack manage to find an inn up the road and quickly make their way inside. Safe from whatever creature was out prowling the moors, the two take a much needed breather.





	Safe

**Author's Note:**

> a lil one-shot for an au.
> 
> beta read by my good pal oogami!

"Thank God there really was an inn up the road."  
  
"Yeah, I was starting to get the creeps out there."  
  
David sighed, almost content, as he followed Jack down a hall. They had luckily ran into a dingy looking inn while going up the road and had quickly made their way inside. The warnings from the pub folk and the appearance of the full moon was starting to get to them, and the distant howling hadn't helped. They must have looked crazy, all ruffled and out of breath, but the lady behind the counter hardly blinked as she gave them keys to a room.  
  
The place was small and it seemed almost devoid of people, but it was a whole lot safer inside so they didn't complain much. At least now they were away from the people back at the pub and whatever possible animal was out on the moors. David wanted to believe it was just a sheepdog, but nerves had made his imagination run wild. Well, whatever, they were finally inside an inn so they could breathe easy now.  
  
"Gimme the keys." Jack reached behind, over to David, and waggled his fingers.  
  
"Here."   
  
"Ok, it'sss...That one!"   
  
Jack quickly stepped over to a door with the number '3' on it and unlocked it with the key. As soon as he opened the door, however, he made a face.  
  
"Ah, shit," Jack sighed, tone more tired than actually irritated.  
  
"What is it?" David asked, fearing the worst. Maybe the room would be full of cobwebs and dust, appropriate for a place that seemed untouched for years. Or, dare he think it, there was absolutely no furniture and they would have to sleep on the floor.  
  
"They gave us one bed." Jack gestured to the room inside and David looked over Jack's shoulder to find that, sure enough, there was only one queen sized bed.  
  
David snorted amusedly. "It's big enough for the two of us. It's fine." He lightly pushed Jack inside, and once they were both in David closed the door behind him with an air of finality. He was honestly too tired to give a shit at the moment, and he just wanted to lie down and sleep for twenty four hours. Jack seemed to feel the same way as he simply sighed and didn't complain any more about the sleeping arrangements.  
  
David dropped his bag in some corner of the room while Jack placed his right on top the bed. He immediately went through his bag to pull out a set of clothes and some other things, like a toothbrush and deodorant.  
  
"They said there was a bathroom, right?"  
  
"Uhh," David looked over the room before pointing to another door. "Yea, there it is, I think."  
  
"I call dibs!" Jack laughed as he gathered the things he took out and briskly walked over to the door. He opened it and nodded, satisfied. Yep, it was the bathroom and it looked decent enough.  
  
"Hey, get your bag off the bed or I'm pushing it off!" David threatened with a slight smirk as he sat on the bed and tried to ignore the loud creak it gave as a result. Jack came back from the bathroom, empty handed, and pulled his backpack to the ground as he gave David a look.  
  
"You're dirtying the sheets."  
  
"Well, if you hurry the hell up in the shower they'll stay clean."  
  
"You're gross."  
  
"Just go already will you?" David chuckled with a wave of his hand and a roll of his eyes. Once Jack was finally gone, David sighed softly.  
  
Exhaustion eventually began to settle in, and David thought he could fall asleep right then and there. He didn't, though, desperate to get himself cleaned and changed first before lying down. He subconsciously stroked the soft blanket with one hand as he listened to the shower running in the bathroom. David looked around the room for a moment and was pleasantly surprised to find it decently furnished, with a night table and a lamp next to the bed, a few chairs in the corner alongside a small table, and some paintings hung on the walls. It was a whole lot better than nothing.  
  
After a bit, David's thoughts ran back to Jack and their current predicament.  
  
David could remember one of the last times he had slept in the same bed with Jack. It happened back when they were young teens and absolute idiots. It was a night that David had come over  to Jack's house to stay the night. Jack had somehow found a horror movie playing on one of the channels on his TV and had convinced David to watch it with him. They had watched the movie beginning to end, eyes practically glued to the screen. Except, once it was over, the both of them couldn't sleep. In fact, they were so frightened they had slept together in Jack's bed. David remembers how they hid under the sheets and spoke in whispers as if afraid someone would overhear them. That went on until early morning.  
  
But they were practically kids back then. They were both adults now and were no longer afraid of things that went bump in the night. At least, not while inside a building. David felt almost embarrassed now over how nervous he had gotten when they were outside and walking alongside the moors. Any sound, no matter how small, had made him jump out of his skin. The only comfort he had at the time was that Jack seemed to feel the same way as he did. That, and holding onto each other helped.  
  
David shook his head lightly, smiling. It really was probably nothing and they had just allowed the pub folk's paranoia to get to them. Yes, David thought confidently to himself, it wasn't anything to mull over - at least not tonight. Maybe tomorrow Jack will talk his ear off about all the weird shit they encountered.  
  
David's thoughts suddenly cut off when he realized the noises from the bathroom had quieted. He watched as the bathroom door opened and revealed a refreshed Jack. He was wearing some casual clothes and his hair had fluffed up some after being dried. David had the sudden thought to run his hand through Jack's hair but he pushed that thought deep down.  
  
"Man, finally!" David groaned exaggeratedly. "I thought you'd fallen asleep in there or somethin' "  
  
"Haha, right. Would you have saved me if I did?"  
  
"Saved you? I don't think you can just drown in a shower, Jack."  
  
"It's a bathtub."  
  
"Oh. Then sure, I'd save ya. Don't worry." David shrugged, smiling.  
  
"Wow, my hero." Jack snorted as he tossed the shirt he had previously been wearing at David. "Alright, your turn. Get off the bed, or I'll make you."   
  
David yelped once the shirt hit him. "Ok, ok! I'm going!" He laughed as he carelessly dropped Jack's shirt to the floor and went over to his backpack in the corner. He quickly dug out some clothes and practically ran into the bathroom to escape more of Jack's things being thrown at him.   
  
If there were other people in the inn, they could probably hear the two of them being dumbasses. David just hoped they weren't keeping anybody awake lest they get kicked out. Then again, maybe the lady behind the counter was used to encountering weird tourists.   
  
Once David was done with the shower and put his clothes on, he stared at himself in the mirror. He looked tired beyond belief and he couldn't help but snort at the sight; That fright back at the moors really did a number on him, it seemed. At least he was finally going to rest, but then he remembered he was going to sleep right next to Jack and that made him pause.  
  
Sure, they had done it before and it was David himself who said "so what" in regards to the bed situation, but, well. The idea of lying so close to his best friend, to his....  
  
David shook his head. Now wasn't the time to get stupid, and he really didn't want to think about that anyway. He dug his own grave, he might as well just lie in it. Honestly, how bad could it be?  
  
David came out the bathroom after some mental preparation and saw that Jack was already settled on the bed. He was lying on his back and had one hand behind his head and the other hand on his stomach. His eyes were closed but they opened momentarily at the sound of the door opening in order to look at David. Jack smiled. David returned it with a rather sheepish one of his own.  
  
"You don't move around much, right?" Jack asked conversationally.  
  
"Uh, probably not. I'm sure you'll tell me in the morning if I do."   
  
"You'll know. If you wake up on the floor or not."  
  
"Jack, if you actually push me off the bed I'm pulling you down with me." David gave Jack a pointed look as he took the unoccupied space on the bed and made himself comfortable.   
  
"Looking forward to it." Jack chuckled, but kept his gaze up at the ceiling.  
  
David practically curled up on his side, facing Jack. He pulled the blanket up from the bottom of the bed and covered himself with it. He had nearly forgotten how cold he was and was inwardly thankful at the warmth provided by the room and the bed. It helped that Jack was next to him too, but David didn't really want to think about that too much or else he'd probably embarrass himself somehow.   
  
Jack went ahead and pulled a part of the blanket to cover himself with as he laughed softly. David furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I think I remember that you used to hog up all the blankets."  
  
"You remember that?" David could feel his face warm up. So it seemed he wasn't the only one thinking about the previous times they had slept together.  
  
"Mhmm." Jack hummed as he settled down again and closed his eyes. The silence seemed to stretch for a long time as David just watched Jack and listened. There wasn't really anything to hear besides Jack's breathing. David found the sound oddly comforting. They were safe and getting some rest, and that's how David wanted things to stay as for the rest of the trip.  
  
Eventually David spoke up, apparently not tired enough to just sleep: "Hey, do you remember that time we slept in your bed after watching a scary movie?"  
  
"Oh, God," Jack suddenly snorted and lifted his hand to cover his eyes as he kept grinning. "I do. What was it again? The Exorcist, I think?"  
  
"That was the one with a little girl getting possessed?"  
  
"Yea."  
  
"Yea! That one! We got scared shitless that night." David tried to conceal his laughter as he spoke, but did a very poor job at doing so. Jack simply joined him without holding back.  
  
"Man, we couldn't sleep at all. Good times." Jack recalled with dying laughter, before going completely quiet and looking at the ceiling in thought. "Say...What do you think that was?  Out there on the moors?"  
  
David sighed. He knew this would come, but he was hoping it'd be tomorrow. "I dunno, Jack. Do we really need to start coming up with theories as to what the hell was happening back there right now?"  
  
Jack suddenly turned to his side, facing David and causing him to blink in surprise. Jack merely grinned.   
  
"I have a theory."  
  
"I'm sure you do." David rolled his eyes and was tempted to pull the blanket over his head so he could pretend to sleep. Instead, he sighed heavily and looked Jack in the eye. "...And what would your theory be?"  
  
"I think it's a werewolf."  
  
"A...Werewolf."   
  
"Yea! The star on the wall, the full moon, the howling! David, it all adds up! There was totally a wolf man out there on the moors." Jack reached over and slightly gripped at David's arm in excitement. David's heart abruptly picked up speed and he really wished it was because of the whole werewolf talk but it wasn't. He laughed nervously.  
  
"Jack, I think those crazies we met are getting to you."  
  
"Aw, would you just indulge me in this one thing, David?"  
  
"No, It's absurd!" David gingerly pushed Jack's hand away from his arm and he couldn't tell if Jack's crestfallen look was from the loss of contact or from the rejection to his theory. "Besides, if there really was a wolf man out there we would have gotten killed! I don't recall you being very happy when we were outside."  
  
"Well. It was dark, and the noises were pretty fucking terrifying."  
  
"Mhmm, so be grateful we're outta there and in here."  
  
"Yea," Jack murmured as he looked over David, expression odd. "I am."  
  
That got David to swallow whatever else he had to say and just bury his face further into his pillow. He really needed to control his rampant emotions, but it was all too embarrassing. Luckily, Jack didn't say anything else and they both just kept quiet. Maybe David could finally sleep, but he had a sudden burst of energy and it annoyed him to no end. Might as well not let the conversation end on werewolves, wolf mans, or whatever.  
  
David turned his face away from his pillow to look at Jack properly. "Hey, you still awake?" He spoke just loud enough to be heard.  
  
"Yep," Jack opened his previously shut eyes  and just stared back at David. "Still here. What is it?"  His eyes seemed to droop with sleep now and that made David want to snort.  
  
"How's the trip been for you so far?" David snuggled into his spot on the bed, preparing himself to hear whatever Jack had to say much like a child would to a bedtime story. Even though they've only been away from their home place for a few days, David was awfully curious to know what was in Jack's mind. He knew Jack just wanted to get to Rome, but they hadn't even reached London yet.  
  
"Besides the weird shit from earlier tonight?" Jack asked with an insufferable smirk on his face that made David just want to...  
  
"Yea, besides that."  
  
"I dunno. You tell me, you were there."   
  
"I'm being serious, Jack!" David laughed underneath his breath as he gave a sorry attempt at a shove to Jack's shoulder. It ended up being more of stroke, but neither of them really said anything about it.  
  
Jack snorted. "We've only been travelling for, like, five days, David. We've still got three more months of exploring to do."  
  
"Yea, but I was just curious," David suddenly yawned, interrupting his own words. "What with the complaining and all."   
  
Jack chuckled at that and the sound was enough to soothe David even further.   
  
"I do like it here..." David continued, low. Jack only hummed as a response, prompting David to finish whatever he had to say. "It's nice sometimes when it's just quiet."  
  
"Sure, this place is quiet, but it seems so lonely," Jack murmured, pensive. His voice sounded heavier now, and it didn't take a genius to realize he was slowly falling asleep. "I mean, wouldn't you eventually get lonely in places like these?"  
  
"Hah, well, once we're in London things are gonna get loud so I'd like to enjoy this while I still can," David smiled slightly as he watched Jack gradually close his eyes. "Besides, I'm not alone. I got you."  
  
"Yea?" Jack prompted, but it was obvious he was on the verge of sleep.  
  
Even so, David answered: "Yea. You make anything fun, Jack. Hell, even back in the moors, I felt better having you there with me. I'm really glad we got to go on this trip together, I wouldn't have had it any other way, I..."  
  
David blinked suddenly, realizing that Jack was fast asleep. His breathing had slowed and he showed no sign that he had heard whatever David had just told him. That was probably for the best. David would have felt a hundred times more embarrassed if Jack had actually listened to him just a few seconds ago. David willed his heartbeat to slow enough so he could rest properly.  
  
David looked over Jack once more and smiled softly. He eventually closed his eyes and just listened. It was quiet and peaceful, save for Jack's soft snoring. That, coupled with the warmth provided by Jack's presence, was quickly lulling David to sleep. It was honestly the best thing in the trip so far, and David wanted to personally thank the lady behind the counter the next morning for helping with making it happen. Previous thoughts of monsters and wolves were forgotten as David just focused on the faint snores and joined Jack in his slumber.

**Author's Note:**

> the next day, David and Jack find out someone from the pub got mauled to death. Jack then convinces David to investigate what the hell is happening in East Proctor.
> 
> this is just a simple one-shot i wanted to write ! love that 'there was only one bed' trope


End file.
